Firearm



(No Model 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. M. BROWNING.

I FIREARM. No. 580,926.' Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

. (No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 2.

J. M. BROWNING.

FIREARM.

Patented Apr. 20

-Inveni50r:

- .flwa.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFIC ,JOI-IN M/BROXVNING, OF OGDEN, U AH.

FIREARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,926, dated April20, 1897.

Application iiled'flctdber 31, 1896. Serial No. 610,659. (No model) Toall whom it may c0ncern.-'

Be it known that I, J oBN M. BROWNING, residing at Ogden, in the countyof Weber and State of Utah, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Firearms, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates generally to the class I of automaticbreech-loading firearms, and more especially. to firearms of thisdescription in which the several operations, such as the opening of thebreech after firing a shot, the ejection of the emptycartridge-shell,the cocking of the hammer, the presentat-ion'audintroduction of a fresh cartridge. into the pose of enabling my presentinvention to be understood. Such features as are common to the twoconstructions will be referred to herein so far as may be necessary toenable the present inv'entionto be,u nderstood, but the descriptionwhich follows will relate particularly to the novel features of thiscase.

The'main object which I have had in view has been the-product-ion'of afirearm of theclass referred to which should be simple andinexpensive-in construction, not liable to get outof order, and reliableand safe in operas tion und er all conditions of use.

I have hereinafter shown and described my present improvement as adaptedto a gas-op erated magazine-pistol, but I have chosen this particularkind of firearm merely as a convenient illustration of an embodiment ofmy invention and do not intend to restrict my invention to anapplication thereof to a mag" azine-pistol nor to any particular kind offirearm; nor do I intend to restrict the invention to the use of theseveral features of improvement together in a common structure.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated an embodimentof my inven tion, Figure 1 is aright-hand side elevation of the pistolwith thebreech closed and the hammer down. Figs. 2 and 3' arerespectively front and rear end views of the same.

Fig.4 is a longitudinal section on a horizontal plane with the barrelshown partly in plan view. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on avertical plane with someof the parts inside view. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9are detail views of parts to be referredito.

The pistol represented in the accompanying drawings comprises a framea,a barrel b, fixed in the frame, and a'sliding breech block or boltcarrier 0.. The upper portion of the frame .a. forms the receiver andhasa seat A and suitable guides for the reciprocating breech block'orboltcarrier, and below'the' receiver is the grip or handle a, which ispreferably made integralwith the frame,.but obviously may be formedseparately and attached thereto in any suitable manner. Within the gripand extending through the same upward into the receiver is arranged aseat or chamber for the reception of the cartridge-magazine d. Thelatter is substan tiall y of ordinary form and construction, and mayconsist of a sheet-metal tube in which the cartridges arelaid one uponanother, rests ing upon a spr'ing follower d, by ,which they are pushedforward into the receiver.

grip by a spring-actuated latch d Its upper end is open to permit theescape of the cartridges, the side walls at the rear of the openingbeing turned in to form ears (1?, Fig. 6,

which engage the rim or flange of the topmost cartridge to prevent theescape of the same The upper portion of the frame is provided,

interiorly with longitudinal ribs and grooves a a, Fig.3, to engagecorresponding ribs and grooves c c of the breechblock or bolt carrier 0or of that portion 0 of it which may be more properly designated as thebreech bolt, the said breech-bolt or breech block-or bolt carrier beingthereby held to the frame and guided thereon in its reciprocation. OntheIt is convenientlyretained in placewithin the too ' bolt.

"longitudinally from the breech-bolt forward top of the breech-bolt'c isa strong longitudinal rib o to which the portion 0 of the breech blockor bolt carrier is secured firmly by means of screws eflwhich passtransversely through said portion 0 and the rib, the top of the ribbeing increased in width to make it T-sha ed and the slot in the slide 0being correspondingly shaped to secure a stronger attachment, ifdesired. The part 0 slides upon the frame and extends forwardly,se thatwhen the breech-bolt is in closed position the front end of'saidpart orslide 0 stands over the muzzle of the barrel. In order that the slidemay be accurately guided in its movement, its forwardportioni's extendeddownward, preferably in the form of a sleeve 0 which embraces theforward portion of the barrel, an open space being left between the rearend of said sleeve 0 and the front ofthe frame a to allow for thelongitudinal movement of the sleeve with the slide andbreech- The slide0 is bored out or chambered to receive the reaction-spring e. This is astrong closely-coiled spiral spring, in the rear end of which a plug eis secured by being grooved spirally, as at' c Fig. 8, to permit thespring a to be threaded thereon. The plug is secured to the forward endof the rib c by means of a rearwardly-projecting tongue on the plug,which en'ters'into a correspond ing recess in the rib, and by a pin awhich passes transversely through the slide 0 and the tongue of the pluga.

To the front end .of the barrel 1) is secured a collar b by means of apin 1), and from the collar 1) an arm b projects upwardly into the lineof' the reaction-spring e in the slide 0 A plug '6, Fig. '9, to whichthe forward end of the reaction-spring may be secured in the same mannerin which the rear end-is secared to the plug e, is fixed to the arm I)by a screw 2 thereby maintaining the reactionspring 6 in a state oftension. breech-bolt is moved to the rear, either by hand or by thepowder-gases, the breech is opened, the hammer l is cocked by contactwith the rear end of the breech-bolt, and

through the described connection the reaction-spring e isfarther-distended, so that on the release of the breech-bolt it returnsthe slide and the breech bolt to their forward position' and therebycloses the breech. The rear end of the sleeve 0 and the front of theframe a limit the rearward movement of the sliding breech block or boltcarrier, or slide and breech-bolt: and-in order to diminish the shockwith which the sleeve strikes the f raine Iprov ide outhe barrel infront of the frame a washer b, of leather orothersu'rtable ma terial, asa cushion or buffer. The space between the sleevejand the frame when theformer is in itsforward position is. covered by a shield or cover a,which is attaehed'xo the frame by screws 0" and extends, forward fromthe frame to the sleeve without-dutc fering with the movements .of thelatter. As

and clearlyunderstood.

hen the described heretofore, cartridges are pressed upward from theholder or magazine d,but are held from escaping therefrom by the ears (ZNevertheless the rim or flange of the topmost cartridge rises abore theholder as soon as the breech-bolt c has passed to the rear of theholder,so that in the forward or closinggmovement of the breech bloclg or boltcarrier the face of the breeclrbolt engages the topmost cartridge, theupper edge of which then lies in the pat-h of the breech-bolt andpushesit directly from the holderinto the chamber of the barrel. When thecartridge is exploded, the breech bolt is driven backward by thepowder-gases, and in its movement it effects the extraction of the emptyshell from the chamber of the barrel and its ejection from thereeeiver.For this purpose an extractor f, Fig. 4, ofusual construction and actedupon by a spring f, as usual, is arranged in the side of the breech-boltc to engage the head or flange of the cartridge during the closingmovement and to extract the shell from the chamber of the barrel during'the opening movement. As the shell is drawn rearwardly by the extractorwhich engages theflange on the right-hand side the left-hand edge oftheflange strikes a projection g on the left-hand side of the receiver, sothat the shell is snapped out or ejected through the opening a", formedin the righthand side of the frame a, for that purpose:

The loclcmeehanism 'is substantially the same as that described in. mysaid application, but wilibe briefly explained herein, so that theoperation of the firearm may be fully The breech-bolt o is provided withthe usual firing-pin I; and its retracting-spring k, Fig. 5, and thehammer Z is pivoted, as usual, inthe frame and is acted upon by theusual mairispring l, the shape and position of the hammer being suchthat, it-is-struck and brought to full-cook position by the breech-boltc in the rearward or opening movement of the latter. The scar m ispivoted in the frame in front of the hammer and is normally acted uponby-th'espring in to cause it to engage the hammer and keep it cocked.The trigger it is pivoted, as usual, in the'frame in front of the grip,and its rearward movement is transmitted to the scar by aconnecting-piece n, Figs- 5 and 7. front end of the latter is supportedby the frame and carries a projecting lug n which rests against thetrigger. piece n is divided into two arms, which pass The I The rear ofthis around the cartridge-holder without interfering with the same andin rear of it are united by a cross-bar 11 The rear-face of thecrossbarn is beveled and the springn, bent ream wardly at its upper end,bears against the cross-bar n, tending to raise it into the .path of thesear m and to yicldinglyhold the con necti'ng-piece It and the trigger'nin their for-' ward positions. Upon the top of the cross-bar a is a lipor shoulder a, adapted to engage the extremity of the sear,-so that therearward movement of the trig er may be communicated to the sear tocause it to release the hammer Z when the trigger is operated. In orderto prevent the release of the hammer unless the breech is fully closed,a safetypiece 0 is arranged between thebreech-bolt c and theconnecting-piece n. The'top of the safety-piece 0 is guided in a hole inthe frame adjacent to the breech-bolt and projects into a recess 0 inthe latter when the breech is fully closed. The lower portionof thesafetypiece passes through a slot in in the sear m and is itselfslotted, as at 0', to straddle the pin upon which the sear-is pivoted,so that the longitudinal movement of the safety-piece is limited by saidpin. The length of the safetypiece 0 is such that when its upper endstands .in the recess 0 of the'breech-bolt its lower sear cannot beoperated thereby and the sear is at all times, except when the breech isclosed and the trigger is pressed, free to reengage the hammer. as soonas it is cocked, even though the trigger has not been released.

- The spring at is conveniently formed as the "middle leaf or member ofa single spring-plate,

which is trifurcated and whose outer leaves or plate may also be securedto the latch d for the cartridge-holder and thereby operate the latterwithout'requiring an additional spring.

For the better lateral support of the breech bolt in its closed positiona tongue 0. projects from the frame a above and in the rear of thebarrel and enters a corresponding recesse in the face of the breech-bolt0 when the latter is in its forward position. The tongue a also assistsin the proper-introduction of each cartridge into the barrel, as itguides the bullet end of the cartridge.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that thebreech-bolt is not positively locked in the closed position, but isyieldingly held in such position by the reaction-spring e and by thepressure of the mainspring Z, exerted on the breech-bolt c' through .thehammer Z.

the barrel, which pressure forces the cartrid ge-shell and breech-boltrearward. By my construction I am enabled to make the frame andthebarrel of such lightness that the great strength and weight, and as theinertia of these parts has to be overcomein opening I On firing, thebreech-bolt yields to the pressure of-the powder-gases in the breechtheir weight serves as a safeguard by retarding the opening of thebreech until the bullet has passed from the muzzle. The momentum of theheavy breech bolt and slide completes the rearward movement after thepressure in-the barrel has been relieved, insures the extractionandejection of the cartridge shell, and stores energy in thereactionspring for the closing movement without exposing this spring tothe shock which would be occasioned if the breech block orbolt carrierwas of lighter weight. The strength of the movable parts and the factthat the front of the frame serves as a stop to arrest their rearwardmovement insure the safety of the arm even if the reaction-spring shouldbreak. It will be observed also that the mainspring,

acting through the hammer, which is cockedby the rearward movement ofthe breech block or bolt carrier, cooperates to retard the rearwardmovement .of the breech block or bolt carrier, but leaves it free to bemoved forward by the reaction-spring alone.

The operation of the improved firearm will be readily understood fromthe foregoing. A filled cartridge-holder is inserted in the grip and thebreech-slide is drawn rearward once by hand. This opens the breech,cooks the hammer, presents a cartridge in front of the breech-bolt,'anddistends the reaction-spring. When the breech-slide or breech block orbolt carrier is released, the reaction-spring returns it to the forwardposition and trans fers the topmost cartridge from the holder to thebarrel. If now the trigger is pulled and a shot fired, the breech isautomatically opened, the hammer is again cooked, the empty shell isextracted and ejected, and a new cartridge is presented, energy being atthe same time stored in the reaction-spring to effect the forwardmovement of the breech block or bolt carrier. These operations arerepeated so long as cartridges are supplied. The automatic opening andclosing of the breech and cooking of the hammer-follow so rapidly uponthe pulling of the trigger that several successive shots would be firedbefore the trigger could be released by the finger, but, as aboveexplained, the first of the opening movement releases the sear from thetrigger, leaving the sear free to rengage the hammer when it is againcooked and to retain it in its cocked position until the trigger isreleased and again pulled. This insures perfect control of the arm.

. It will-be understood that the features of improvement which I havedescribed herein are not necessarily combined in the same structure withthe other features of the'firearm which, for purposes of explanation, Ihave shown and described herein, norare they necessarily employed in afirearm of the particular character of that shown. Obviously alsovarious changes in form and an rangement'of parts may be made within thescope of my invention.

a sliding breech-bolt, and a forward extenmen or arm attached to saidbreech-bolt andguided by the barrel and is limited rearwardly' i bycontact ofthe rear end of said sleeve wit a. sliding breech-bolt, aforward extension or ingforward alongside the frame and barrel,

What I claim, aIldIdQSiI'Q to secure by Letters Patent, isw 1 1. 'In afirearm, the combination with a frame and a barrel carried by saidframe, of

extending forward alongside the frame and barrel, said extension or armhaving a sleeve surrounding the barrel, whereby the move- 'ment-of saidextension and breech-bolt is the front of the frame.

2.'In a firearm, the combination with a frame and a. barrel carried bysaid frame, of

arm attached to said breech-bolt and extendsaid extension or arm havinga sleeve surrounding the barrel, and a buffer or cushion interposedbetween the front of the. frame and the rearend of'said sleeve.

3. In a firearm, the combination with a frame and a barrel carried bysaid frame, of a sliding breech-bolt, a forward extension or armattached to said breech-bolt and extending forward alongside theiframeandbarrel, said extension or arm having a sleeve surrounding thebarrel,.and ashield aitaehedto the frame and covering the space betweensaid sleeve and the front of the frame. 7 i

' 4. In a firearm, the combination with -a frame and a barrel. carriedby said frame, 'of v a sliding breech-bolt, a forward extension or armattached to said breebbolt andextending forward alongside the frame andthe barrel, and bored out or chambered longitudi nally, and areaction-spring.disposed-within said extension or arm and having itsrear end r connected to said breech-bolt and its forwardend connected tothe barrel near its muzzle.

5. In a firearm, the combination with, a frame having a grip or handleto receive a magazine, and a barrel, of a sliding breechbolt, a forwardextension or arm attached to said breech-bolt and extending forwardalongside the frame and barrel, said extension or arm having a' sleevesurrounding the barrel,

barrel, a reaction-spring disposed within said extension or arm andconnected-at one end to said breech-bolt and at the other end to thebarrel near its muzzle, and cartridge-explod- .ing,shell-extractingandshell-ejecting devices carried with saidbreech-bolt.

'Z. In a firearm, the combination with a frame, a barrel carried by saidframe, and a sliding breech-bolt, of a spiral reaction-spring and a plugde'tachably secured to said frame ,or barrel and spirally grooved orthreaded to engage said reaction spring. This specification signed andwitnessed this ofOctober, A. D=--189Pr.'- JOHN M. BROWNING. In presenceof- MATTHEW S. BROWNING,. M. J. HALL.

'a reaction-spring secured to-said breechrbolt

